Ah, another long time between posts and life has certainly surprised the house with changes. Must keep thinking positive, think healing, think things will be better and we will be dancing with dogs in the future.

Still mooc'ing it, this month two art classes and both enjoyable. LIVE! A History of Art for Artists, Animators and Gamers is done by CalArts, a university specializing in the arts and though I know very little of CalArts, so far I have enjoyed the professionalism of the mooc. My desire is not so much to hang out with other arts enthusiasts, not yet anyway, but to produce art, to be creative, to enjoy what comes through my fingers in form of outward communication, unplanned, serendipitous, hopefully something that makes others think, thrive, live.

The other "art" class, Introduction to Computational Arts: Visual Arts, is teaching how to use digital software programs. Exploration of digital imagery is part of the course description. Adobe Photoshop, a software that can be purchased or "rented online" is used professionally in many settings and a good software for the artist's toolbelt. GIMP, another software being imtroduced in the class, is quite similar but is free open source. I opted at this time to use GIMP and one advantage over Photoshop is the ability to undo history more than one back (see a GIMP of my youngest cat below). Photoshop is limited to one undo. This is a biggy for me.

As far as art goes, I have been investigating different "free" programs online and discovered that in the Google Apps store there are several free apps to use. In fact, the dog looking at the dancing girl in the picture above was done with one of the Google Apps, but it escapes me which one at present. It was one of the pictures that just came out on its own, but expresses freedom. Being bound to this hospital bed, I dream of the freedom to dance, with dogs, with mates, with a free spirit joyfully spinning through life.

Coursera's timing with the arts courses fell perfectly with my desire to return to my art past, from many years ago, and, again, I am happy to have found Coursera. Join me?

What the hell?No, it's not hell anymore. It's WTF.Huh?Yeah, what the ___I can't say that.Yes, you can.No, I can't put that in print.Why not? Everyone else does.Yeah, but I'm not everyone else.Sure you are.So you say.

Why must I be everyone else?I don't want to hear everyone's voices always in my head.When they're mad, I am condemned.When not, I serve, as if they control me by being there.

What the hell? You again?Yeah, it's me.I still can't say that word.Sure you can.No, it's just not, uh, not ...It's not what?Well, I guess it's not polite.Good God, man. Polite?It's woman.Oh, right, woman. Good God, woman. Polite?I am emitting a heavy sigh.Yes, you are, but why?In comparison, it is polite.

When I am beyond this pale, will choices be free? I cannot say and do not know. I have seen some from there, but was not looking at choices at the time. I was discussing for change.

It wasn't hell.What wasn't?The place where they came from.Who?The ones I was discussing with.You mean for change.Yes, for change.And did they?One did.

Could I go back and not get stuck?I don't think I want to find out and would not come back if I did.It really is only a matter of time.Living to the end.

What is hell?Is that a real question?Well, if you like answering questions with a question, I guess, yes.So, why ask me?I'm not sure I did.You're insane.So you say.

Simply put, this is where I will add poems, prose, and other writings that are mine. I just needed a place to put them, and thought why not here. Just so they are tied to a MOOC theme, I was in the Modern & Postmodern Poetry class at Coursera.org tonight and wrote a poem, so needed a home for it.